Manoir de la Boissière
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir de la Boissière, located in Athée-sur-Cher (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Manor
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Athée-sur-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.3349, 0.9359
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097536
A discreet jewel in the crown of 16th-century Touraine, the Manoir de la Boissière features a hexagonal turret with loopholes and elegant proportions, an intact example of Loire Valley pleasure architecture.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the gentle landscape of the Cher valley, at Athée-sur-Cher, the manor house of La Boissière is a remarkably restrained example of what the lords of Touraine knew how to build for their own pleasure: a pleasure residence on a human scale, far removed from the grandiloquence of royal châteaux, but imbued with authentic grace and a rich history. Its silhouette, punctuated by a hexagonal turret topping the north-east corner, emerges from the bocage like a well-kept secret. What sets La Boissière apart from the countless manor houses in Touraine is precisely this tension between residential charm and defensive austerity: the defensive openings in the turret are a reminder that in the 16th century, even hunting houses had to be able to defend themselves. The moat - now filled in - once encircled the manor house, giving it the atmosphere of a miniature fortress that the shady lanes around it still partially capture in the imagination. The interior, in the tradition of the Touraine house, favours clarity and practicality, with well-proportioned rooms, some of whose windows were enlarged under Louis XIII, bringing in the more generous light typical of the emerging classical taste. The manor house was probably used as a hunting lodge, which explains its compact layout and its location at the heart of a hunting ground full of game. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1960, the Manoir de la Boissière is an intimate place to visit. Visitors with an appreciation of Renaissance civil architecture will find plenty of food for thought here: how did the builders of the 16th century manage to combine utility, elegance and character in such modest proportions? It's a question that this manor house poses with great insistence at the turn of every façade.
Architecture
The Manoir de la Boissière is a typical example of a Touraine Renaissance house, combining economy of means with a concern for representation. The main building, constructed in the 16th century, has a compact two-storey plan, probably covered by a steeply pitched slate roof - the preferred material of builders in the Loire Valley. The façades, probably in tuffeau, the soft blonde stone quarried in the Loire Valley, have the luminous character typical of Touraine buildings. The most striking feature of the building is undoubtedly the hexagonal turret at the north-east corner. Far from being a mere ornament, this turret is pierced with defensive openings - archways or gunports - that reveal the dual function of the manor house: a residence for pleasure but also a surveillance post capable of summary defence. This duality, common in 16th-century French manor houses, is expressed here with an eloquent economy of means. The hexagonal shape of the turret, less common than the traditional circular plan, gives the building a notable architectural singularity. Later alterations - the enlargement of certain windows under Louis XIII and the addition of a return wing on the rear façade in the 19th century - are clearly visible in the building, offering the attentive visitor a veritable architectural stratigraphy. The filling in of the former moat has altered the perceptual base of the manor house, which now rests directly on the surrounding ground, losing the slight island-like elevation that was once intended to accentuate its defensive character.
Related Figures
Seigneurs de Montbazon — suzerains historiques du fief de la Boissière, parmi les plus influentes familles de Touraine médiévaleSeigneurs de la Carte-Ballan — suzerains successeurs sous l'Ancien Régime, dans la hiérarchie féodale localePropriétaires anonymes du XVIe siècle — commanditaires de la construction du manoir, vraisemblablement petits nobles locaux épris de chasseExploitants agricoles post-révolutionnaires — gardiens involontaires du manoir durant sa longue période d'abandon du logis seigneurial
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir de la Boissière located?
Manoir de la Boissière is located in Athée-sur-Cher, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Manoir de la Boissière built?
Manoir de la Boissière dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir de la Boissière open to visitors?
Manoir de la Boissière is currently closed to visitors.